Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
This creamy, Thai-spiced carrot and sweet potato soup will warm you up on cold days. It's filling and full of nutritious ingredients.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 10, 2024
Is it too soon for soup? When I had a full-blown cold last week, soup sounded like just the ticket. I flipped through Angela’s new cookbook, Oh She Glows Every Day, and landed on this creamy, plant-based soup bursting with vitamin A and other goodness.
Carrots, sweet potato, and warming Thai curry blended with an unexpected ingredient—almond butter—made it a sweet and spicy, rich soup. I wish it could say it cured me for good (if only soup could), but it definitely made me feel better that evening. And the next morning, when I heated up leftovers for breakfast. Thank you, Angela!
Fans of Angela’s first book, The Oh She Glows Cookbook, will find tons of new favorites in her new one. Fun vegan breakfasts, smoothies, salads and soups, hearty plant-based dinners—this book has it all, with beautiful, bright and light photos by the lovely Ashley of Edible Perspective.
Blogging has a lot of perks, and meeting wonderful people through the blog is the best one. I’m so glad to have gotten to know Angela and Ashley over the years. I emailed Angela for cookbook advice a couple of years ago, and I’m so thankful for her generous advice and support. She’s a really hardworking lady, and I know that every recipe in this book has been tested over and over again to make sure it works. I hope you’ll get a chance to pick up her new book soon.
Watch How to Make Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
This nutritious, Thai-spiced carrot and sweet potato soup will warm you right up! The tamari almonds are a nice, crunchy touch. Be sure to season this soup with enough salt and lime juice so the flavors really sing. Recipe yields about 8 cups soup (4 servings).
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow (sweet) onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if needed
- ¼ cup raw almond butter or peanut butter
- 3 cups diced peeled carrots
- 3 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Up to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice)
Toppings
- Minced fresh cilantro
- Fresh lime juice
- Roasted tamari almonds (optional, see below)
Roasted tamari almonds
- ½ cup raw almonds, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon low-sodium tamari or coconut aminos
Instructions
- To make the soup: In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Stir in the curry paste. In a small bowl, whisk together some of the broth with the almond butter until smooth. Add the mixture to the pot, along with the carrots, sweet potatoes, salt, and remaining vegetable broth. Stir until combined.
- Bring the soup to a low boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.
- Ladle the soup carefully into a blender. You will likely have to do this in a couple of batches, depending on the size of your blender (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line). Being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid, blend on low and slowly increase the speed until the soup is completely smooth. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and blend the soup directly in the pot.)
- Taste, and season with salt and black pepper. If you’d like more spice, add a pinch or full ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and blend again. Transfer the soup back to the pot and reheat if necessary. If desired, you can thin the soup out with a bit more broth if it’s too thick for your preference.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with minced cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, and optional tamari almonds. This soup will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and freezes well for 1 to 2 months.
- To make the roasted tamari almonds: Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, toss the almonds with the tamari until the almond pieces are fully coated. Spread the almonds over the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
- Roast the almonds for 9 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden. The tamari will have dried up.
- Let cool completely on the pan. The almonds will harden up as they cool. Using a spoon, scrape the almonds off the parchment paper and enjoy! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of weeks.
Notes
Recipe minimally adapted, with permission, from Oh She Glows Every Day by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2016, Glo Bakery Corporation.
Make it soy free: When making the tamari almonds, use coconut aminos instead of tamari.
Make it gluten free: Verify that your tamari is gluten free (most, but not all, are).
Make it nut free: I haven’t tried making this soup nut-free, but here are some thoughts. First, you’ll have to omit the almond topping. You could also just omit the almond butter, but the soup will be lighter. If you like sunflower butter, you could try that in place of the almond butter. I’ve also had good luck blending soup with ½ cup rinsed and drained cooked white beans (Great Northern or chickpeas) if you want to give that a shot—I haven’t tasted beans in the finished soup.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Oooh, this looks delicious!! I don’t have Thai curry paste on my shelf; Do you think that sriracha sauce would work in a pinch?
Thanks!
It will likely have more spice, but you could try it. Let me know what you think!
The first words that came to mind when I tasted it was “Seriously this is EVERYTHING”. It’s ridiculously yummy !!!! Perfect blend of sweet, salty, creamy and all with a teeny tiny kick of heat. This will be on regular rotation for sure !! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe.
I made this with a a few modifications to make it nut-free. Instead of nut butter, I used a combo of tahini and coconut milk (it’s what we had on hand). I toasted tamari pepitas with a bit of brown sugar instead of almonds (delicious!)
I poured the soup over a bowl of udon to make a thick sauce for the noodles. It was a hit all around, everyone loved it. If you like it spicier, I’d suggest adding some minced hot peppers to the aromatics in the first step.
Great recipe!
The recipe for this food was pretty simple and the soup looked rich and creamy. The color of the soup gave it a nice look and gives you the desire to eat it.
AMAZING Soup! I had 3 bowls. I love your recipes. Keep them coming!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Heather! Thank you for your review.
interesting taste, definitely something different for me, but loved it! I did not have enough sweet potatoes so I used only 1 cup and it still turned out great.
I don’t love carrots, and I’m always looking for a way to attempt to eat more of them. This recipe fit the bill. I am positively shocked to really like this soup!! I’m glad I took a chance on this month, thank you for sharing the recipe. The lime and cilantro, totally make it!
I’m excited you enjoyed it!
I found this recipe because I was trying to recreate something similar that I had at a local restaurant.
I am thrilled to report that this was just as good or better than the restaurant version. I will dream about this soup. It is so, so good.
In my excitement I forgot to add any toppings so I can only imagine that it will be even better with the cilantro and almonds. I will use them for the leftovers.
Seriously so good. This will be on regular rotation in my house this winter.
Wonderful, Jenny!
So good!! I don’t know how, but the almond butter really makes it, and definitely the lime added after cooking. Such a great combo of flavors!
I’m glad you loved it, Mary! I appreciate your review.
Adore this soup. So comforting and healing from the warm spices. The addition of the almonds is a must! I use coconut milk at the end and 1/2 miso ginger broth.
Thank you for your review, Mackenzie!
This is seriously one of the best soup recipes that I have tried. It’s easy and tasty….
I’m excited you loved it, Valerie! I appreciate your review.
My 13 month old daughter loved this soup! So that’s a big win for me! I was almost tempted to add some coconut milk, out of habit but so glad I didn’t. It’s delightfully creamy and flavourful as is.
Great recipe! I amended it some:
I made it in the Instant Pot. First part was done on sautee, and then High Pressure for 10 min. Natural release for 15 minutes, followed by Quick Release. I also used an immersion blender. Note: if you use the IP, only use 1/2 of the stock/broth.
I added a fresh cayenne pepper since my curry paste wasn’t very hot. I sauteed it with the onions and ginger. And then added the garlic last just until fragrant. I didn’t have red curry paste, so I used Panang, which was tasty.
I did not use salt. Instead, before I blended it, I added 1 T. coco aminos and 1 T. fish sauce. It was just the right amount of salt/umami.
I also blended in the juice of 1 lime (instead of using it as garnish).
It was delicious!
I will make this again!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing how you made it, May! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made this soup a few times and love it. Only had green curry paste, but was still delicious. I also add a little extra ground ginger because I love it with soup. For those asking for nut-free alternatives, I’ve also added miso paste and it is YUM! (omit the salt if you’re going that route) Perfect soup that is both hearty and healthy. Thank you.
I’m excited you love it, Beckey! I appreciate your review.
I recently made this soup. I trust your recipes and have made many of them. This was by far the best yet! The peanut butter was the flavor enhancer that made this soup pop. I did add some beans and I also added kale. Next time and there will be a next time I will add red lentils instead of beans. I made it nut free and gluten free.
I’m glad you loved it, Julie!
Hi, what is cilantro and where can you buy it?
Hi Sandy! It’s an herb you can find in your local grocery. Typically you can find it near the parsely.
In the UK we’d say coriander (leaves not the dried herb). Hope that helps
Cilantro is also known as coriander
Please could you help your non-US readers and cooks with your recipes?
3 cups of carrots makes no sense to me lol! I cannot visualise how many carrots that is. In Britain a recipe would commonly say something like “3 large carrots” or “medium size sweet potatoes”
Please!?!
Hi Phil, sorry to disappoint, but I don’t provide conversions. I do know some who use my recipes a lot have bought US standard measurements to use or use conversion charts online.
oh no, why would you peel the carrots and sweet potato?? As someone who makes healthy food, you would know that most of the nutrients are in the skin?!!
This is honestly the best soup my husband and I have ever had. It is now my go to soup for any occasion, so much favour and so creamy, just amazing! So easy to follow and make, highly recommend!
Can you share what brand of curry paste you use? This was the best soup I have ever tasted… and also the spiciest! I’m wondering if it was the curry paste I bought or if I just can’t handle the heat :) I used Mekhala Thai red curry paste.
Curry past, Thai Kitchen brand. Curry spice, Simply organic. Always adjust to your tastes.
This is such a delicious recipe! It delighted my two dinner guests and me this evening. I added two 13.5 cans of coconut milk. Truly “yum!” Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Reatha!
Sweet potatoes are brown skin on the outside and white flesh inside. Yam has the colors of orange, yellow or blue/purple flesh inside. This recipe has a yam, not a sweet potato, from the photo seen above. It is a confusing issue most have with these root veggies. Confusing. The recipe looks amazing … will use a yam, though.
Sweet potato is brown on the outside and orange on the inside. Yam in the other hand is dark brown on the outside and white on the inside. Where are you based exactly..?? Double check google to confirm this is correct :)
Ask your grocer, as it says this when I buy them at the store. Yams are not sweet potatoes, they are different plants. However, there are blueish/purple sweet potatoes, and those are lovely.
I wanted a vegetarian soup to serve at my Thanksgiving meal this year to provide more food for the non-meaters at the table, and thought I’d give this a go. A big hit! Made it as written and the flavour was wonderful! Added some chipotle when blending and only topped it with cilantro when serving which added a nice touch of freshness. I was a little concerned about the thickness so I will probably thin it out more next time, but that is a minor concern (and, I’m sure, my doing) Everyone really loved it – thank you for sharing this recipe
That’s great to hear! I’m glad it was a hit.
Yummy! This is now one of my favorite recipes. I’ve been trying to lose a few pounds, and eating this tasty yet filling soup for lunch with a side of multigrain toast is healthy and satisfying. My whole family loves it.
Great to hear, Alissa!
Thanks for this recipe Kate. It was such a nice blend of flavors and the house still smells amazing from all the ingredients. It’s going into my folder of favorites!
That’s great to hear, Cindy!
Delicious and nutritious as your recipes always are.
Thank you, Liz!
This is a 11/10 soup! And the tamari almonds are my new favourite wy to eat almonds!
Thank you for a delicious, easy, and satisfying recipe!
The soup is lovely and very easy to pull together- however- I think I need to experiment more with red curry paste. I cooked with Thai Kitchen red curry paste recently and it had very little spice. Then I used a new brand from Whole Foods for this soup and it was WAY too spicy. It overpowered the soup. I’m guessing that’s not what others experienced when raving about the soup. I added coconut milk in an attempt to temper the spice. It helped a bit, but not enough. I’ll try again soon- and be sure to use the Thai Kitchen red curry paste instead. Thank you for your always delicious recipes!
You’re welcome, Meaghan!
Wow, just wow. This was incredibly tasty and filling and going into our soup rotation, much of which is from your blog. So healthy and easy as well. We used homemade vegetable stock.
Thank you for sharing, Robin!
This is so delicious!!! I made it exactly as instructed and I can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers.
I sent the recipe to my mom and she loved it too! She only had green curry and she used a winter squash instead of sweet potato, but she enjoyed that variation.
Great to hear, Kylie! I appreciate your review.
This is such a great recipe! I didn’t have almonds so I made tamari walnut pieces instead. Will be making this again. :)
Wonderful to hear, Lena! I appreciate your review.
Made a few adaptations to this recipe based on what I had on hand, and was totally mindblown by how delicious it was! I used massaman curry, miso paste instead of stock, peanut butter, added frozen lime leaves instead of lime juice and topped with air fried chickpeas instead of tamari almonds. Fantastic!
Great to hear, Claire! Thank you for your review.
Made it tonight! Was fantastic flavour and very tasty. Added some me coconut milk near the end and lime juice added extra zing. Will def keep making ~ thank you.
You’re welcome, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
I made this soup and then dehydrated it and ate it on a backpacking trip. It worked fabulously! The soup turned leathery when dried. On the trail I added boiling water back into it and the leathery pieces gradually dissolved. I ate it when some of the chunks were still chewy and that was super nice in the otherwise smooth puree. Absolutely delicious soup at home or on the trail!
Thank you for sharing, Robin!
This soup is absolutely delicious! Love the thai twist. I also added a little coconut cream. Yum :)
Oh…My…Goodness!! It’s been a long time since I’ve raved about a new recipe, but this one deserves it. Absolutely delicious! I had an abundance of carrots in my frig, so this recipe looked like a good use of them. I had everything except raw almond butter, so I used unsalted/unblanched peanut butter. This recipe checks all the boxes: visually appealing (we eat with our eyes first, right?), loaded with flavor (the fresh ginger and red curry paste are the key), healthy comfort food, interesting flavors. The tamari nuts as garnish is genius! Thank you for this terrific recipe!
I’m so glad you tried it! Thank you for your feedback, Patty.
Love all your recipes which are a lifeline as my daughter struggles with major food intolerances and IBS.
Will use this one for our Boxing Day celebrations. But will make it tonight too.
I have made this soup numerous times! I love it. Since I follow a low sodium diet, I use low sodium peanut butter and my broth is homemade and sodium free.
This was AMAZING! It took longer to prepare than anticipated (lots of chopping) but definitely worth it. Next time I may look for prediced sweet potatoes to speed up the process. My family loved it – called it fire!
I was looking to recreate a soup from the hot counter at my local grocery store and this was the closest base recipe.
I had butternut squash and rutabaga on hand, so they replaced the sweet potato. I also used 2 Birds Eye chilis instead of cayenne for heat.
I stirred the lime juice and cilantro right in at the end after removing it from the heat. I also added half a can of coconut milk, a few splashes of fish sauce, a teaspoon of maple syrup, and another tablespoon of curry paste because I think mine was quite mild.
It turned out amazing!! I will definitely be saving this recipe. I think it could work with any combo of root veggies you have hanging around. It’s easy to customize and I can’t imagine you could go wrong :) thanks!!
Wow, I love this soup! It was perfect for our first snowy day in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I only had peanut butter so used that, and didn’t have tamari so used soy sauce. The lime juice and cilantro were lovely touches. I had dried thai pepper to sprinkle on top to make it extra spicy. Yum! Thai dishes are a favorite of mine, so I’m very pleased to this add this soup to my favorites.
This recipe is quickly becoming a weekly must-have for me. Lots of flavors that are well-balanced, and so easy to make!
I tried this recipe whe a friend had made it. It was delicious. The lime, cilantro and roasted tamari almonds are fantastic blend of flavours with this soup.
I tripled the recipe to put away in the freezer for future meals. ✌️
Can this soup be frozen?
Hi Ann, yes this is perfect for freezing!
Great recipe. I added a sweet tango apple and 1/2 can of cannellini beans (it was spicier than expected). Adding the lime really brings it to life. Thanks!
Absolutely delicious! Honestly the best soup I have ever had, anywhere. I have never made soup myself before and this was super simple to do. I did make 1 change and roasted the carrots instead, adding them to the mix at the end before blending. I have now made 2 batches in 2 weeks. Thank you so much Kate.
Thank you for sharing, Nikki! So glad you enjoyed. There are lots of simple, nutritious, and delicious soup recipes for you to try.